Page 2 of Scarred Hearts

“You do? Ugh! I’m sorry! I wanted to tell you guys but… well I didn’t.”

“You don’t have to cover for Ty,” Luke laughed. “Jade overheard the whole thing that night you guys were talking in the office.”

“God,” she scoffed. “Well, now you get why I can’t return.”

I appeared from the other side of the grave, the leaves rustling under my feet, causing her to jump in surprise. “You belong there,” I said before I could stop it from exiting my mouth.

It was the truth. I was just selfish. We’d used protection, but I thought shit was about to hit the fan when she showed up in Boston. I thought she was about to reveal she’d somehow had my kid. But after hearing she couldn’t have children when she auditioned, I realized that wasn’t it.

However, I also didn’t want anyone to find out what we’d done. It would’ve probably been weird for Mila and everyone else too. She could barely deal with who my family was. Throwing a past one-night stand at her would’ve pushed her over the edge. When I realized Giovanna meant no harm to me, I kept my distance as much as I could to protect everyone.

While I still didn’t really want to be around her, the truth was, she was damn good at her job. And what we did was a long time ago. I wasn’t in a relationship at the time, so I’d also done nothing wrong.

“Tyler!” Giovanna gasped. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Today’s Mila’s birthday,” I glanced over my shoulder toward the gravesite. “I was delivering some flowers, but I saw him over here talking to you.”

“Oh,” she furrowed her brow, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Nestling my hands deep in the pockets of my black coat, I offered her a gentle smile. The only smile I could muster today to be polite.

She nervously bit her bottom lip before continuing. “Are you going to be okay if I return, though?”

All the past events replayed in my mind as I thought about her question for a moment. Am I truly okay with her being around? She wasn’t just great at her job, she was loved by my family and friends, and I couldn’t take that away from them. I’d taken away enough. I simply nodded.

“Time will tell, but regardless, you belong there. We both do.”

Luke darted his eyes back and forth between us before he offered a pleased expression. That was enough to make me happy. I just wanted everyone around me to be fine and smiling again, even if I wasn’t. While I still wanted her to stay away from me, I’d be as civil as possible for the sake of everyone I loved.

1

BACK IN TOUCH

GIOVANNA

When I came to Boston, I never imagined I would come across Tyler again. Working at Penthouse L.A. kept me secluded from my clients outside the club. So, seeing him here, three thousand miles away from where we first met, was a shock for both of us. I tried to play it cool for his sake, but it was clear he wasn’t happy to see me. Client confidentiality was always a top priority for me, even if it was just one encounter.

To make matters even more surprising, Tyler knew my father. It was a small world, indeed. If I’d known that beforehand, there was no way I would’ve let things progress between us that night.

I’d done my best to avoid him because it was obvious he wanted nothing to do with me, and I didn’t blame him. He’d paid me for what he called at the time, the greatest sex of his life. Men and women always said stuff like that to me, so I was no stranger to those types of compliments. They usually thought it’d either get them a discount, or I’d be so blown away by their gesture, and run away with them.

In his case, I knew he was just drunk and going through some things. I might have been bad with most people’s names, but I never forgot a face. Tyler was different from the rest. I remembered both, and I’d just might have run off with him if he’d asked me to.

On that fateful day at the cemetery, as we crossed paths once again, it was clear he was only being nice for Luke’s sake. But I didn’t hold it against him. I respected it. He was selfless that way. Both Luke and Jade had been kind to me since the day we met, as had everyone else in their family. And I knew Tyler’s love for them all ran deep, so he couldn’t bring himself to disappoint Luke by treating me coldly.

After the sudden and unexpected death of my father, I was thrust into the role of inheritor, becoming responsible for his entire estate. It was a decision I’d never known about until our family’s attorney called me back to New York, summoning me with a heavy heart and an even heavier list of my father’s final wishes and all his assets.

I’d always thought my immediate family would share in my father’s wealth, but after his passing, we all seemed to drift apart.

My oldest brother, Carmine, had already been serving a lengthy prison sentence when our father died. Enzo had been spending all his existing money on lavish trips to impress women in different countries each week. I was pretty sure most of his income came from some business he had with a drug cartel in Mexico. And Luca had taken a hiatus from the entertainment business, disappearing from our lives entirely.

Not long after moving out of my old apartment, I stumbled upon a stunning two-story, corner penthouse. It was situated eight floors above a retail store on the corner of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. As soon as I stepped inside and saw the breathtaking views of downtown, the historic Back Bay brownstones, and the Charles River, I knew it was where I belonged. The spacious rooms were flooded with natural light, and every detail exuded luxury and sophistication. Something I needed now. It was time for a fresh start.

I’d not planned to return to Euphoria or Luxe, though I gave Luke my new phone number before we parted ways at the cemetery. I was thankful to all of them for being so kind and to Luke for giving me a job, but I still didn’t know if I’d go back at that point.

Another eleven months went by, and I finally wanted to reach out to Kirsten. We’d become good friends during my short time there, and I felt like I owed her an apology for just vanishing for over a year. She was a bit closed off to new people, so there was no telling if she’d even be happy to hear from me again.

Standing in the kitchen in nothing but a yellow thong, and black off-the-shoulder crop top, I finished stirring the homemade ragu I’d prepared, then set the long wooden spoon on the spoon rest. Picking up my phone, I scrolled over to her contact photo, sending her a quick text.

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